The NHS currently spend hundreds of thousands of pounds annually providing district nurses to care for leg ulcer patients, many of whom have to attend daily clinics to have numerous dressings changed and wear compression stockings and bandages. Compression bandages, stockings and dressings are NOT a cure for leg ulcers.

For many reasons, the vast majority of patients are not ever given the opportunity of a cure, despite the cure being cheaper than continual dressings and bandaging.

Not only are ulcers uncomfortable, unsightly and painful they destroy the quality of life those inflicted. Patients often report that they cannot lead a normal work or social life and in some cases the ulcers become infected causing even more pain and suffering. Furthermore when family, friends and other carers are included, this horrible condition affects millions of people every year in the UK.

How sad it is to find out that the majority of these leg ulcers could be cured. Not temporarily "healed" by dressings and bandages that only get rid of the ulcers, for them to come back again.

If patients with leg ulcers are properly investigated and treated, the majority should be permanently cured. No patient should ever accept an opinion from a doctor or nurse as to whether their venous leg ulcer is curable or not, unless they have had a colour flow duplex ultrasound scan performed in a specialist clinic or by a venous specialist.

The Leg Ulcer Charity is a small independent charity offering free advice and support to sufferers and their families. In order to succeed we need to educate the NHS to cure venous leg ulcers in patients by treating the cause of the problem. This will not only save the NHS thousands every year, but also provide sufferers with a legitimate cure. This can only be achieved if we educate the District Nurses and wound clinics.

Stand with us and ask the Secretary of State for Health (Jeremy Hunt) to cure leg ulcer patients and save the NHS thousands of pounds.